Inter-Package Dependency Networks in Open-Source Software

Abstract

This research analyzes complex networks in open-source software at the inter-package level, where package dependencies often span across projects and between development groups. We review complex networks identified at ``lower'' levels of abstraction, and then formulate a description of interacting software components at the package level, a relatively ``high'' level of abstraction. By mining open-source software repositories from two sources, we empirically show that the coupling of modules at this granularity creates a small-world and scale-free network in both instances.

6 Pages, 1 Figure, Submitted to J. Theoretical Comp. Science

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• Analyzing and Modeling Real-World Phenomena with Complex Networks: A Survey of Applications
• Community structure of complex software systems: Analysis and applications
• Universal distribution of component frequencies in biological and technological systems
• Software systems through complex networks science: Review, analysis and applications